Merlin is my companion and my familiar. So, I figured that his name should be the title of this Witch's room. I'm going to post spells, both new and well used ones, and all kinds of information on the craft. I'm a 5th generation Witch, so I have a lot of older learning that I would love to pass on. Come in, have a cup of tea, pet my cat, and maybe learn something along the way

Friday, December 30, 2011

Checking out at the grocery store recently, the young cashier suggested I should bring my own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. I apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations." She was right about one thing -- our generation didn't have the green thing in “Our” day.

So what did we have back then…? After some reflection and soul-searching on "Our" day here's what I remembered we did have....

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles repeatedly. So they really were recycled.

But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right.

We didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right.

We didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.

And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

When I first saw these, I thought.... cool! They can be grown in my area, are high in Vitamin C (good for me since I'm allergic to citrus, so I figured I could get my vitamins this way) And they are pretty also!

Then I read more about them.... and WOW, I'm totally impressed!!!!

Sea-buckthorn berries are edible and nutritious, though very acidic (astringent) and oily, unpleasant to eat raw, unless 'bletted' (frosted to reduce the astringency) and/or mixed as a juice with sweeter substances such as apple or grape juice.

When the berries are pressed, the resulting sea-buckthorn juice separates into three layers: on top is a thick, orange cream; in the middle, a layer containing sea-buckthorn's characteristic high content of saturated and polyunsaturated fats; and the bottom layer is sediment and juice. Containing fat sources applicable for cosmetic purposes, the upper two layers can be processed for skin creams and liniments, whereas the bottom layer can be used for edible products like syrup.

Nutrient and phytochemical constituents of sea-buckthorn berries may have potential effect in inflammatory disorders, cancer prevention or positive effect on bone marrow after chemotherapy or other diseases although no specific health benefits have yet been proven by clinical research in humans.

The fruit of the plant has a high vitamin C content – in a range of 114 to 1550 mg per 100 grams with an average content (695 mg per 100 grams) about 15 times greater than oranges (45 mg per 100 grams)

placing sea-buckthorn fruit among the most enriched plant sources of vitamin C. The fruit also contains dense contents of carotenoids, vitamin E, amino acids, dietary minerals, β-sitosterol and polyphenols. Flavonols were found to be the predominating polyphenols while phenolic acids and flavan-3-ols (catechins) represent minor components. Of the seven flavonols identified, isorhamnetin 3-O-glycosides were highest quantitatively.

Sea-buckthorn fruit can be used to make pies, jams, lotions and liquors. The juice or pulp has other potential applications in foods or beverages.

For example, in Finland, it is used as a nutritional ingredient in baby food. Fruit drinks were among the earliest sea-buckthorn products developed in China. Seabuckthorn-based juice is popular in Germany and Scandinavian countries. It provides a nutritious beverage, rich in vitamin C and carotenes. A specialty beer called Tyrnilambic Baie d'Argousier has been produced at the Cantillon Brewery in Brussels exclusively for the Finnish Market.

For its troops confronting extremely low temperatures, India's Defence Research Development Organization established a factory in Leh to manufacture a multi-vitamin herbal beverage based on sea-buckthorn juice.

The seed and pulp oils have nutritional properties that vary under different processing methods. Sea-buckthorn oils are used as a source for ingredients in several commercially available cosmetic products and nutritional supplements.

To overcome high acidity, juice made by adding five-parts water to one-part sea-buckthorn and sweetened to taste, put through a blender and strained, is said to taste like orange or peach juice. Sea-buckthorn leaves, dried and shredded, can be made into teas.

Different parts of sea-buckthorn have been used as traditional therapies for diseases. Grown widely throughout its native China and other mainland regions of Asia, sea-buckthorn is an herbal remedy reputedly used over centuries to relieve cough, aid digestion, invigorate blood circulation and alleviate pain.

Bark and leaves may be used for treating diarrhea and dermatological disorders.[Berry oil, taken either orally or applied topically, may be used as a skin softener.

For its hemostatic and anti-inﬂammatory effects, berry fruits are added to medications for pulmonary, gastrointestinal, cardiac, blood and metabolic disorders in Indian, Chinese and Tibetan medicines. Sea-buckthorn berry components have potential activity against cancer and dengue virus.

Enough said, I'm going to buy 2 of these little suckers and try my luck with them!!! They grow in china, by the sea.... and believe it or not, but living down the shore here in N.J. is just the right climate for them!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Vine is extremely vigorous, growing up to 3 feet a year to reach a height of 32 ft.. Tiny white flowers give way to red berries that can be used in teas or herbal remedies. Prefers part sun to full shade.

I wanted to try this one too, but it says in the catalog they had "crop failer" so it's not available

Yes, I'm an old hippy. I admit it. All my life I've read "Mother Earth", a magazine on alternative living. If you've never read it, go and buy one, you will LOVE IT!!

With the philosophy of ..... re-use, re-purpose, and conserve.

So, when I saw these cute little pumpkins before Halloween I had a hard time buying them.... why buy when you can grow??? But, bought them I did, because it was way to late in the season to consider getting the seeds.... you can't find seeds in late September or October.

Now, after Halloween, I brought them inside, and put them on the kitchen window.

The trick of getting good seeds is to make sure the fruit is ripe enough. Another 2 months sitting in the sun, inside, and the pumpkins started showing spots of rot.....PERFECT!!! The seeds would be mature, and most of them would produce.

So I cut them open, scooped them out. Placing them in a strainer, I rinsed them with COLD water..... don't be tempted to use warm or hot, because that could kill the seeds.

Then I put them on a nice towel, and I'll allow them to dry all day long.... when dry, I'll pick out the bits of pumpkin still sticking to them, and put them in a jar! Sealed for the winter in a nice dark spot.... like my spice cabinet.

I do this with most of my seeds, from Marigolds, to.... well.... pumpkins. And next year in the spring I'll find a nice place to plant them..... and there you go!!!!

I may have bought the initial ones, but for years to come, I'll never have to buy another, just keep growing, seeding, and having fun!!

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About Me

Hummm, what to tell you about me..... well, I'm single. A widow. I have 2 married daughters, and a son who's still at home. I'm chubby, sexy, and honest to the core. I can be a total Bitch, but most of the time I'm pretty nice. giggle unless you try to piss me off.... never a good idea! All Poetry on this site is written by me! Hope you enjoy! Also, check out my dolls blog at http://morticiasmansion.blogspot.com/